Episode 069 - Solid vs. Liquid Biocides

Host Erik Bjornstad discusses solid biocide sticks (also known as bug sticks) and their use in fuel management. While these sticks offer the apparent advantages of easy handling and convenient dosing, they face significant limitations.The episode explores six major problems with solid biocide sticks, including their lack of approval for on-road fuel use, water solubility issues, and potential tank corrosion risks. Bjornstad explains why these limitations make them unsuitable for many non-industrial fuel care scenarios, despite their popularity in specific industrial applications like bulk crude storage and pipelines.

Listen to the Full Episode:

What You'll Learn:

• The history and development of bronopal as a biocide chemistry
• Why solid biocide sticks require specific conditions to work effectively
• The six major problems associated with solid biocide stick usage
• Regulatory limitations on biocide use in on-road fuels
• How biocide approvals work through the EPA's Division of Pesticides
• The difference between industrial and non-industrial fuel storage applications
• Why consistent biocide dosing matters for fuel treatment

Ideas Worth Sharing:

Here are three notable quotes from the podcast episode:

• "Nothing is completely good, and nothing is completely bad. Even if you have something that seems to have a lot of problems, there are still always at least some good points that that thing will bring to the table."

• "Applying biocides - that is the biggest key factor for resolving microbial contamination because in order to eliminate a microbial contamination problem, you have to kill the microbes."

• "If a biocide is not legally approved for use in a specific situation... then it's not legal to use it in that situation."

Resources Mentioned:

• Belicide (thiosinane chemistry)
• Kethon (isothiazolone chemistry)
• ClearKill (MBO chemistry)
• Compare Bellicide and Clearkill
• Dow Fuel Saver (nitromorphlin chemistry)
• EPA's Division of Pesticides
• Erik Bjornstad: LinkedIn

Show Notes:

[00:00:00] - Introduction and overview of fuel management
[00:02:00] - Discussion of biocide importance in fuel treatment
[00:04:00] - Introduction of common biocide types
[00:05:00] - Introduction to solid biocide sticks
[00:12:00] - History and background of bronopal
[00:17:00] - Advantages claimed for solid biocide sticks
[00:21:00] - Six problems with solid biocide sticks
[00:32:00] - Discussion of engine deposits
[00:37:00] - Summary and conclusions
[00:40:00] - Closing remarks and show information